A lopsided & bloody double-bill at Hackney Empire

Review

The second piece of the programme was Bartók's staggering Bluebeard's Castle. Bluebeard's lush mystery couldn't have provided a stronger contrast to tense grey world of Senza Sangue. This production too began with a bare stage, but through the brilliant lighting design of Philippe Grosperrin, each of Bluebeard's seven forbidden rooms came to light.

A warm introduction: The Mozartists at Wigmore Hall

Review

On the 18th of September a new musical group, The Mozartists, was launched at Wigmore Hall. The creation of Classical Opera conductor and Artistic Director Ian Page, it aims to cultivate the music of Mozart and his contemporaries, as suggested by the name. So with the blessing of the Soul of Music on the cupola above, The Mozartists gave a successful debut.

An organic integration: The Wake World

Review

The audience literally follows Lola (Maeve Höglund) as she embarks on a wild love story with The Fairy Prince (Rihab Chaieb). Soprano Maeve Höglund sings exquisitely and brings an infectious wonder to the role. Rihab Chaieb has a rapturous voice, full of lush colors.

Dynamic and physical: Rinaldo at Oper Frankfurt

Review

Three tiny, nearly-nude dancers painted from head to toe acted as freaky humanoid henchwomen to Armida. These impish women did Armida's bidding, transforming at different points into a three-headed monster, a forest, or mermaids, and stopping time to control various characters. A particularly striking moment was when Rinaldo sang "Abbruggio, avampo, e fremo" while being tormented and yanked around by the imps on three long ropes.

"Humanity's bond to war": War Stories at O17

Review

Beecher's score is a gripping manifestation of the heart-breaking and heavy content of the libretto. His choice to use the same instruments that were used in the Monteverdi is a brilliant blend of past and present. From the very first eerie sounds that welcome us into the world of the piece, one hears similarities to George Crumb's Black Angels, which is a response to the Vietnam War.

Conversations "of the most urgent nature": We Shall Not Be Moved

Review

We Shall Not Be Moved asks hard questions about race, gender, flaws in our education system, and more. This work brings up parts of history that many would have us sweep under the rug. Great art has the ability to teach us the difficult lessons our education has deliberately excluded. After the performance was over, Bill T. Jones said that he wanted this opera to start a conversation.

Tamara Wilson gives a "flawless" Aida at WNO

Review

While Zambello's attempt to create a modern, stylized Aida may have failed, this performance is a delight for the ears. Tamara Wilson's flawless performance alone is worth making the trip to the Kennedy Center.

A masked ball: American Baroque Opera Co.'s Opera Cabaret

Review

This group has succeeded in being a passionate representative of Baroque opera as not merely an outlier that "comes before the real operas of Mozart, Puccini, Verdi, and Bizet", but as a vibrant, effusive, and brilliant genre sui generis that appreciates the love and devotion performers bring to it.

A refreshing gateway drug: The Magic Flute at O17

Review

While a new and forward-thinking production such as this Flute is of tremendous value, we must be wary of the cost on the performers themselves. There is a danger in productions where singers are made to fit into a sort of machine (see The Metropolitan Opera) and do not have total freedom to access their full range of expressive tools. These are the tools which would otherwise allow them to connect with the audience and portray their respective characters without limitation.

A dreamy psychological thriller: Vanessa at Oper Frankfurt

Review

Thoma presents the trio of women as three generations of the same person: Erika, the Baroness and Vanessa herself are all one immortal woman, eternally alone and suffering, stuck in time forever and unable to move forward. The Baroness embodies Vanessa's future as a bitter widow, while her niece Erika represents her past as a hopeful, beautiful, innocent young girl. As Erika laments, "Sometimes I am her niece/But mostly her shadow".